Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan has proposed introducing a digital monitoring system for retail promotions and discounts that would allow consumers to verify actual price reductions and check the terms of promotional offers.
The initiative follows inspections by the Competition Committee, which identified 65 violations during reviews of 116 promotional campaigns at 58 retail stores and service outlets.
According to the committee, the violations included failure to distribute promised prizes, manipulation of prize draw results, misleading discount information and restrictions that were not disclosed in advertisements.
In Andijan region, Water Life Mineral failed to award prizes worth a combined 60 million soums to three participants in its Orzu Ushalsin promotional campaign.
The Competition Committee initiated proceedings, established that consumer rights had been violated and issued a binding order to the company.
In Namangan region, Namangan Avtotexkhizmat cancelled the result of a Chevrolet Cobalt prize draw and awarded the vehicle to another person.
The company said it had been unable to contact the original winner because of an error in the telephone number.
Following intervention by the Competition Committee, the vehicle was returned to the rightful winner.
Inspectors also identified violations involving advertised discounts.
At the Baldini store in Namangan, a 50% discount was advertised, but products did not display price tags.
At an IDEA store in Bukhara, customers were offered discounts of 20%, 50% and 60%. However, the reductions applied only to monthly instalment payments rather than the full purchase price of the goods.
In Samarkand region, Samarkand Avtotexkhizmat advertised household appliances as gifts for customers purchasing Chevrolet vehicles.
The promotion was available only to customers who paid the full vehicle price upfront, excluding buyers using instalment plans and legal entities.
The committee identified violations of advertising requirements, retail trade regulations and consumer protection legislation, and issued a mandatory compliance order to the company.
In Kashkadarya region, inspectors raised concerns about IDEA advertisements promoting smartphone purchases through instalment plans.
The advertisements failed to specify the number of products covered by the promotion, their minimum prices during the preceding 30 days or the particular product customers could receive under a "1+1" offer.
According to the Competition Committee, 59 of the 65 identified violations, or 90.7%, were resolved following explanations and warnings issued to businesses.
Proceedings were initiated against four companies.
As a result of price recalculations, approximately 250 million soums was returned to consumers.
To strengthen oversight, the committee is preparing proposals for digital tools that would allow customers to verify promotional offers and advertised discounts.
One proposed measure would enable consumers to scan QR codes displayed alongside products to view their previous prices and determine whether an advertised discount reflects an actual reduction.
Businesses could also be required to register promotional terms in advance through a dedicated electronic system and maintain digital records of price changes.
These mechanisms would allow regulators and consumers to compare advertised offers with actual sales conditions and identify cases where promotional discounts do not correspond to genuine price reductions.
The proposals remain under development and have not yet entered into force.
